Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields poured a bit of cold water on one of the most intriguing potential plans of the team’s coming season, making clear that he has no plans to return kicks for the team this year.
Back in March, teammate Jaylen Warren said that special teams coach Danny Smith suggested that Fields might be a part of the team’s return unit in the coming season while appearing as a guest on Cameron Hayward’s podcast.
On Tuesday, Fields dismissed the idea.
“Nah, I think everybody kind of interpreted it wrong,” Fields said Tuesday in the Steelers locker room, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Coach Danny was basically just trying to send a message that no matter who you are, you could be on special teams. He just used that as an example.”
While Fields was never too concerned over the suggestion, he did see it take hold across the internet.
“It’s funny how serious social media takes everything,” Fields said. “It was kind of funny to me when everybody was making a big deal about it for no reason.”
The idea of Fields on special teams was especially enticing given the new return rules that are set to be put in place this year, which could allow for teams to get more creative on kickoffs. Given Fields’ speed and ability in the open field, and the fact that he is currently likely the second man on the depth chart behind Russell Wilson at quarterback, having a player as dynamic as him on the return unit captured the imagination of many.
“Hey, you never know. He might cook something up. We’ll see what happens,” Fields said, teasing the idea once more with a smile. But ultimately, he dismissed the thought.
“Nah, I’m not here to do that,” Fields said. “It was kind of a joke, to be honest with you.”
The Steelers will kick off their 2024 campaign on September 8 against the Atlanta Falcons.
